Coronavirus outbreak: Balochistan govt declares emergency in districts bordering Iran

The Balochistan government on Sunday declared a state of emergency in province's districts bordering Iran -- the first middle-east country to report deaths from novel coronavirus.

The development comes a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan held talks with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Alyani where he told him to take all protective measures in the areas of the province bordering Iran.

Citing official sources, Dawn reported that the provincial Health Department had established an emergency centre and a control room at the bordering town of Taftan.

"The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the Health Department are establishing a 100-bed tent hospital at Taftan to provide medical treatment to the suspected passengers," an official of the Health Department said.

Pakistan has not reported any confirmed case of the novel coronavirus so far. However, multiple suspected cases of infection have been reported in the past.

Iran has reported eight deaths from coronavirus, the highest outside of China.

Coronavirus first originated in China's Wuhan city in December last year and has since then killed more than 2,300 people in that country alone, while cases have been reported in several countries across the world, including India.